Honey bee literature confirms the wide diversity of pollen and other materials
(e.g. rust and mildew spores, sawdust, coal dust, grain dust, cheese mites,
etc.) that honey bees collect 

This diversity has led some investigators to suggest that honey bees are unable
to detect the nutritional value of or differences between collected substances

In the present study we report honey bee preferences among pollen species and the
criteria they may use in selecting pollen for consumption.

When percent protein and percent pollen consumption were analyzed by linear
regression, no significant correlation was found

* * *

Pollen is transmitted from anthers to stigma by wind (anemophilously) or by
insect/animal (entomophilously), but usually not by both means.

We did note, however, that three of the four most preferred pollen
species were derived from wind pollinated plants and the five least preferred
species were derived from insect pollinated plants. 

POLLEN FEEDING PREFERENCE OF APIS MELLIFERA, POLYLECTIC BEE
Justin O. Schmidt and Bruce E. Johnson


VOL. 9 NO.1 THE SOUTHWESTERN ENTOMOLOGIST MARCH 1984
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